Unity
by Nintendian
Summary: They are complete opposites, but without each other, nothing would ever be the same again. This is two sides of the same story, the story of black and white.
1. Prologue

**Notes**_ -_ This is just the prologue, so . . . yeah. Just for clarification, Black and White aren't the manga characters in this story.

Disclaimer_ -_ I do not own Pokémon.

* * *

_They are complete opposites, but without each other, nothing would ever be the same again. This is two sides of the same story, the story of black and white._

**Prologue**

Black was part of the richest family in Unova.

White was a child living in a small, poor family.

* * *

He lived in a huge grand mansion with everything he wanted.

She lived in an old, shabby house (if you could call it a house).

* * *

He was famous, and his name was both known and spoken everywhere in Unova.

Nobody knew her name - like she was blank, she didn't exist.

* * *

He was part of the _popular _group at school, the group of kids everyone admired and looked up to.

Friends? Well...she was friends with lots of Pokémon. Did that count? (Okay, fine. She had no human friends.)

* * *

He was extremely good-looking, and although many girls at his school loved him, he didn't love a single one back.

She was extremely pretty, but she wished someone, at least one person, would love her.

* * *

He had a whole closet full of clothes, and they were all clean and freshly washed.

She only had one outfit that she wore every day. It was dirty and tattered.

* * *

Over his lifetime, he'd been to many feasts and tried many foods, and they were all delicious.

She barely had anything to eat every day. She and her family (only her parents) were painfully thin.

* * *

He was impossibly impulsive and hot-headed.

She was calm, cautious, and always guarded.

* * *

He had never encountered a wild Pokémon before.

She was surrounded by wild Pokémon, which were her best friends.


	2. Enemies

**Chapter 1: Enemies**

When Black and White first met, they were six years old.

Black was the most popular kid in kindergarten. Maybe it was because his family was so rich and powerful, but whatever the reason why, he didn't care. Everywhere he went, people waved and said hi, even the first and second and third graders. Black was the youngest member in the group of popular kids, and because of this, he figured he had authority over all the other kindergarteners. Most of them had grown scared of him after he had taken their cookies at lunch, but he didn't care. Why bother with kindergarteners? He had better, more popular, _older_ friends.

Black and all his friends were all well-liked and admired by the whole school. The teachers adored them. But they weren't as sweet and innocent as the grown-ups believed.

It was lunchtime. He was taking his daily inspection of the classroom, looking out for desserts he could steal. (Of course, he did it while the teachers were taking their own lunch break). His eyes travelled across the room before settling on a delicious-looking chocolate chip cookie on a desk in the far corner of the room. The uneaten cookie was bigger than the cookies most kids usually brought, and it looked freshly baked. He could almost taste the chocolatey flavor already.

Smirking, Black made his way over, satisfied at what a score he'd made. He halted in front of the desk, making eye contact with the person sitting behind it, the owner of the cookie. His brown eyes met sky blue ones. Grinning wildly, Black looked the kid up and down.

It was _that_ girl.

The girl who never talked, who always sat silently in the corner of the room, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. The girl who had no friends, because people thought she was a boring, dull kid and whispered nasty things about her behind her back. People always said her family was dirt poor, and that she lived in a tiny house in the woods. Looking her over briefly, Black suspected those rumors were true.

Black had never talked to her before, like the rest of his fellow classmates. Honestly, he didn't even know her name. He deemed her unworthy of his precious attention, like most other kids in his class. She looked like someone to turn his nose up on.

He thrust his hand out toward her, showing off the threatening stance that his friends had taught him yesterday. He made sure to keep his feet wide apart and put on a smirking grin.

_You're a little monster._ His friends' laughter echoed in his mind. _Nobody's gonna dare resist you._

"What do you want?" the girl growled, clutching her cookie tightly in her hand.

Oh, what innocence. That's what everyone said the first time he took their desserts, but soon enough, they knew to hand it over. Black grinned even bigger at the thought of the girl's face when he stole her cookie. "Gimme your cookie, or else."

"Or else what? I'm not scared of you." The girl stood up, glaring up at him.

"Give it." Black was getting impatient now. He took a step forward.

"No!"

They were at the point where, in the past, everyone else had surrendered their cookies in fear of getting hurt. "Give it!" Black yelled, his temper flaring. Insults popped into his mind, and before he could think about it, he shouted them. "You don't even have any friends! You don't belong here. Go away!"

She took a step back like she'd been slapped. For the first time, Black noticed her eyes. They were clear blue—the color of the sky. But right now, they were so icy cold, he tried not to shiver.

_Whatever. I don't care!_

"_Give_ it!" Black yelled one last time. Before he could stop himself, he shoved her. As hard as he could. She tumbled backward, tripped over her chair, and hit the floor hard. She went sprawling onto the hard, cold floor, face-first.

And everyone laughed. Especially Black. He grabbed the fallen cookie from the ground and sneered at her. Around him, kids were roaring with laughter.

Except for one person. (Well, technically two, but Cheren didn't count. He was too boring, always sitting in the corner of the room reading his book. He never paid attention to anyone else, and no one paid any attention to him either. It was like: seriously, get a life.)

_Bianca._ The girl with the blond hair and orange dress—everyone thought she was ditsy and clumsy and never took anything seriously. Black never took any interest in her. She was way too crazy and giggly. He just barely remembered her name.

She walked right up to Black and slapped him across the cheek, hard. "Oww!" Black cried. His right cheek was already beginning to sting. No doubt it was terribly red.

"How could you do that? You meanie!" Bianca cried. "I gave her that cookie, you know! She never has _anything_ at all to eat at lunch! And you stole it!" She made tiny fists at him. "Give it back!"

Black ignored her, walking away. He heard Bianca cry out indignantly as he left, but he didn't care. His cheek was throbbing with pain, but he didn't care about that, either. He sunk his teeth into the sweet, still-warm chocolate chip cookie. The chocolate melted in his mouth. What made it even sweeter was the satisfying taste of victory—Bianca screaming behind him and the other girl still sprawled down on the floor, the kids' laughter ringing in his ears.

— - O - —

The next day, Black saw the _girl_ walking to school. He'd decided to call her the_ girl_ from now on.

(For some reason, he had become strangely curious about her. It was a weird feeling, something he wasn't used to—paying attention to a lowly girl like her.)

For the first time, he allowed himself to actually _look_ her over. She had long, dark, chocolatey brown hair like the chocolate chips in her cookie the day before. She wore the same outfit every day—the dirt-streaked white tank top, the ragged black small black jacket, the torn, faded jean shorts. The large black combat boots on her feet certainly didn't fit the rest of her outfit, and neither did her worn, tattered pink cap. Black noticed a big black-and-blue bruise on her forehead and grinned smugly at the knowledge that it came from her fall face-first yesterday.

"Dude. Black, did you hear what I said?"

"What?" Black looked over at his friend. He and some other of his _popular_ friends were crossing the school courtyard, heading for the entrance.

"I said—" His friend paused, glancing toward where Black was looking at. "Who's _that_?" He pointed to the _girl_, walking alone, but with her head held high and confident.

"She's in my class." Black tried to sound scornful, like he was higher than any kindergartener. "I stole her cookie yesterday." He knew his friends would be proud. At the inevitable grins and laughs of his friends, he held his head a little higher, satisfied at what he'd done.

"Hey." One of Black's fourth-grade friends spoke up with a sneer. "I think we just found someone new to pick on."

It was the sixth graders' job to find new people to pick on every day. Black knew this well. His friends had complained before that they couldn't find anyone new to bully, but now...

"You sure?" A snobby sixth-grade girl looked over, her eyelashes dark with mascara. "She looks kinda boring."

"Yeah, but who doesn't like picking on little defenseless kindergarteners? Right, Black?" Another kid grinned at Black, and he grinned back. Oh, man. He couldn't _wait_ to see this. The _girl_ would definitely be scared of his friends. It was always a kindergartener's nightmare when a sixth-grader noticed them, because that meant they were about to be bullied.

Of course, except for Black. He'd never gotten bullied by sixth graders before.

"C'mon. Let's go."

The entire group changed their direction, making a beeline for the _girl_. She noticed them and her steps quickened, trying to get to the safety of the school building before they caught her. As Black and his friends walked faster to catch up to her, she broke into a run, nearing the entrance.

Too late. A fifth-grader had caught her backpack. He wrenched her back while the others laughed at the look in her eyes, the look of hunted prey. She glared at them, her eyes shining with anger and fear, and looked around wildly, trying to find someone, anyone, to help her. Her eyes landed on Black, and the despair and terror in her eyes made him flinch. For a second, he hesitated, wanting to help her, to rescue her from his friends, who had no sense of kindness or compassion. They wouldn't care that she was only a kindergartener; they would hurt her bad.

But Black ripped the thought out of his mind instantly. If he helped the _girl_, his friends would never forgive him. Besides, she was too poor and lowly to be his friend. Seriously. He was a member of the richest family in Unova.

His friends, meanwhile, were taunting the_ girl_ relentlessly.

"What's the matter? _Scared_?"

"Why aren't you talking? Purrloin got your tongue? Or are you mute as well as poor?"

"Yeah, seriously. Wear some clean clothes, for once."

The _girl_ didn't respond to any of these jeers, just clenched and unclenched her fists over and over, like she wanted to hit them but afraid she didn't have the strength.

"You gotta have _something_ that's not dirt-poor like the rest of your stuff." A sixth-grader tore her backpack away from her, and she launched herself after it, screaming, "Give it back!" But he ripped the zipper open and dug into her stuff, throwing away books and folders and a pencil box. During the few minutes that he spent looking through her things, everyone else continued to taunt her, pulling her hair and taking her pink cap and throwing it around out of her reach, like keep-away. Black, however, had no idea what to do. His feet refused to budge, so instead he just stood there, staring like a complete idiot.

Finally, the sixth-grader lifted something from among the pile of her stuff. A one-dollar bill. It was crumpled and dirty, but it was still a dollar bill.

"Is this your lunch money?" the older kid smirked. "Guess I'll be taking it, the—" He was cut off as the _girl_ tackled him, screaming, "No!" at the top of her lungs. But the bigger boy easily pushed her away, flinging her to the ground roughly, and sauntered off. The rest of the gang followed, laughing and hooting and hollering, but the _girl_ looked up angrily from on the ground and met Black's eyes. Her eyes were a startling sky-blue, like he'd noticed the day before, but today, they shone brighter with anger and fury and the desire to get revenge. Her eyes weren't sparkling or anything, but one word came to Black's mind: _beautiful_.

_What's happening to me? _

Black forced himself to snicker at her, but it sounded half-hearted. Uncomfortable and scared at this weird new feeling inside him, he turned away and hurried after the rest of his friends, never looking back.


	3. A Fresh Start

**Notes**_ -_ Ahh, sorry for the long wait. I just get lazy sometimes, and other times I'm busy...so anyways, the second chapter is here! Enjoy! And by the way, thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I really appreciate it. :)

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Fresh Start**

Black's friends had decided that the _girl_ was fun to bully, so they targeted her every day. Usually, they would steal her stuff, but sometimes they taunted her with mean, harsh words. And every day, the _girl_ would try to fight back, but it was no use. The days all passed similarly, with Black's friends still cornering the _girl_ every day after school, making fun of her and picking on her.

Meanwhile, Black felt uncomfortable whenever he saw her, so he stayed as far away from her as he could. However, he often caught himself looking at her. He couldn't help it—he was curious, drawn to her. Her blue eyes always held a mystery that he wanted to unlock.

But Black told himself that these feelings were temporary. They would go away soon, he assured himself. All he had to do was ignore her, pretend she didn't exist. It was simple, right?

Until one day.

School had just ended, and as usual, the _girl_ was trapped around a circle of Black's friends. At first, it was the usual teasing, but then a snobby sixth grade girl grabbed the _girl's _shirt. "What's your name, anyway? We're _friends_, right?" Even Black had to flinch at her vicious smirk, her sarcastic drawl. "Don't friends have to know each other's names?"

Black tensed, although he was turned away, trying to pretend he didn't notice what was happening. _Don't look at the _girl_. Don't look at the _girl_._ Or else he would be drawn into her, and everything would change.

The _girl _tried to pull back, but the other girl kept her tight grip. "Well? What is it?"

There was a pause, and then the _girl _spat, "White. My name's White."

She said it with a disgusted look in her eyes, like her name was something to be ashamed of. Forcefully, she twisted away from the sixth grader and stood there, glaring with that look in her eyes, the look of cold ice.

White. So that was the _girl's_ name. Black had to admit that the name did fit her, somehow.

Black's other friend elbowed him. "And your name is Black! That's perfect. _Black and White._ You guys are meant to be," he crooned, while everyone else burst out laughing.

And Black instantly forgot the fact that he was ignoring everyone.

"_What?_" he cried out indignantly. Heat rose up in his cheeks and he sputtered, embarrassed. "Sh-shut up! No way!" Without meaning to, he glanced quickly at White, who looked insulted. "I-I mean...um..." He didn't want to hurt White's feelings, he realized in shock. But he didn't want to be humiliated in front of his friends, either. Ugh, he wasn't sure which one he wanted more.

Lately, he wasn't sure of anything.

His friends, however, didn't seem to notice his attempt to take back his words. "Oh, sorry. I wouldn't want to be with _her_ either," a fifth-grade boy quipped, sending everyone laughing again.

"She's like, the definition of ugly."

"At least wear some nicer clothes!"

"Her hair looks like a bird's nest."

As they all watched, White took a step back, hurt. Her (pretty) blue eyes narrowed and filled with tears. Although she was obviously trying hard to keep it in, one small tear escaped and slid down her cheek, and she rubbed it away furiously. Her teeth clenched together and her fists scrunched up by her sides.

This was the first time Black had ever seen White cry before, despite all the bullying in the past. She had finally reached her breaking point.

"She's totally blubbering like a baby."

"Then again, she's a kindergartener, so what do you expect?"

Something in Black snapped. White looked so hurt, so dejected, so _angry_, that Black suddenly decided to stand up for her. She didn't deserve this unkindness. No one did. Heck, what did she even do to them in the first place? Inside, Black knew that White was a nice person with a kind heart. She was truly someone worthy of being called a friend.

"_Stop it_!" Adrenaline rushed through Black as he stepped in front of her crying form, glaring at his so-called "friends." He knew he couldn't beat them in a fight if it came to one, but he didn't even care. "Pick on someone your own size! Are you so scared of sixth graders that you have to pick on kindergarteners? Wow, who're the real babies _now_?" Black couldn't stop himself. Words just kept bursting out of his mouth. "What did she even _do_ to you guys? Just shut up and go away!"

It occurred to him that he was getting rid of literally _all_ his friends, but he didn't care. Because they weren't people worthy of being his friends. They had only liked him in the first place because his family was rich and famous.

Black didn't think that he would scare the older kids, but they looked shocked, stunned to see him turning against them. Finally, they all _laughed_, and despite himself, Black felt humiliation burn his cheeks.

"Trying to be brave, are you? Trying to be the hero?"

"Aww, how cute, standing up for your little _friend_."

"Didn't I tell you they were a couple?"

"I thought you were cool, but I guess not. You're just as bad as the rest. Come on, guys, let's go." The lead sixth grader spoke with a sneer in his voice, and the rest of the gang followed his command. They all turned and walked away, all the while laughing. Still Black stood, glaring after them, his heart pounding, until their voices and laughter faded away.

He didn't look backwards at White, because he was afraid to see her expression. She would probably still hate him, but he didn't mind. He knew he deserved it.

There was a silence, and then Black, hating himself and wondering what in the world he was trying to accomplish, turned around to look at her.

She was_ smiling_, grinning ear to ear, in spite of her tears. In fact, her tears made those sky-blue eyes sparkle like the sun shining on water, and Black thought she was beautiful.

"Thank you so much," was all White said. "I've never had a friend before."

But her smile said it all.

— - O - —

The next day, Black and White walked to school together, and he didn't even care that his ex-friends were whispering and laughing and pointing at him like he was an animal in a zoo exhibit. Honestly, he didn't know why they were friends in the first place. There was more to life than being popular and having a bunch of fake friends. They could spread rumors and gossip about him all they wanted. All _he_ needed for encouragement was White's smile, and he felt like he could do anything.

At lunch, he scooted his chair over to sit with White. She beamed when she saw him, but the smile quickly faded when she looked back at her empty desk, which didn't have a lunch on it, unlike everyone else in the class. When she looked up at him again, she looked like she was bracing herself, waiting for the scornful comments that were sure to come. Black just shrugged and sat down, giving his whole sandwich to White.

(Later, his stomach growled more than usual, but it was worth it when he remembered the joyful, grateful look on her face.)

Bianca, the ditsy, clumsy girl, came running up, and Black was disgusted when Bianca tripped three times on the way, over her own feet. She had always been annoying, but the way she hung around White (when Black was there) was getting really irritating.

"What do you want?" he snapped, his tone of voice not exactly welcoming. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw White look from him to Bianca nervously, but he ignored it. Bianca_ really_ got on his nerves sometimes with her hyper personality.

Bianca, however, looked unfazed. She didn't even blink as she retorted, "Well, what are_ you_ doing here, you cookie thief?"

Oh yeah, that. Inside, Black realized that he_ kind of_ felt bad about stealing White's cookie, but that was last week and he wasn't going to admit it to Bianca, of all people.

The blond girl glanced over at White, and her voice was pleading as she said, "C'mon, White, let's get out of here. Black's a meanie-head."

Black was insulted. A_ meanie-head_?

He glared back at Bianca defiantly, told White, "Don't bother with _her_. She's not any nicer than I am!"

White looked from Black to Bianca and back again. Her hands tightened their grip on her desk. Black didn't notice the uneasiness in her eyes, the challenge of having to choose between two friends. He wouldn't admit he was being selfish, because he definitely _wasn't_. This was all Bianca's fault!

"Black, you're such a bully," Bianca said angrily. "Trust me, White. Don't talk to him."

"_Yeah_, Bianca? Well, you're so annoying White won't even be able to stand it."

"Hey! That's only 'cause _you_—"

"_Stop_!"

At White's outburst, the brunet boy and the blond girl both froze instantly, staring at her. She had stood up, her arms crossed, eyes angry.

"If you argue, I won't be friends with _either_ of you! Got that?" Glaring at them both, White sat down again. "Now shake hands and be friends!"

Black and Bianca looked at each other hesitantly, and after a moment, Black reached out his hand. Bianca took it, and they shook hands, although reluctantly. Their eyes met, brown and green, and they reached a silent agreement. This was for White's sake _only_.

(Although later, Black supposed that he didn't hate Bianca_ that_ much.)

— - O - —

A day later, Bianca introduced Black and White to _her_ other friend (Black was amazed. Bianca actually had _friends_?) named Cheren. During her clumsy attempt at an introduction, Cheren didn't even look up once, his nose still buried in that book of his. He was what Black's old friends would call a "nerd." Cheren was reading a _chapter book_, while all the other kindergarteners were still learning to print their letters. Black thought the other boy was boring, and he wasn't afraid of saying so aloud.

To his surprise, Bianca huffed in agreement (this was the one thing they both agreed on). "Yeah, he's always like this." She kicked Cheren's leg, who yelped and glanced up, his eyes blinking and focusing like he'd just come back from another planet. After a few seconds, the other boy looked down at his book again.

White grinned, trying to hold back a laugh, but Black frowned. This was a waste of time. Of course, Bianca _would_ choose friends like these.

"Cheren!" Bianca kicked his leg again, but harder.

Instantly, Cheren looked up again. "Ow! Stop!" He _finally_ put down that book of his, and Black glimpsed the cover—not that he was actually interested or anything. The title read:_ A Guide to Pokémon Types_.

"Cheren, meet my new friends," Bianca said cheerfully, like she didn't notice anything. She was so oblivious sometimes. "This is White, and this is, uh, Black."

They both chorused their hellos, Black somewhat reluctantly.

The other boy pushed his glasses up his nose smartly. "Your names are Black and White?"

"Yeah." Black suddenly felt defensive. "So what?"

Cheren shrugged, flicking a glance back at his book. "Nothing." His expression seemed to say: _Are you guys done talking? Good, now I can get back to my book._

"Um, honestly, what's so interesting about that book?" White had the nerve to ask.

At that, Black instantly groaned, because he already knew what was going to happen. Cheren's eyes lit up, his mouth opened, and he began spouting a bunch of plain nonsense about the seventeen elemental types and their strengths and weaknesses. "Did you know that the electric-type's only weakness is ground-type?"_ Did you know that I don't give a crap?_ Black wanted to reply. Cheren never once stopped talking, and Black glared at White for asking such a dumb question.

(Eventually, Cheren's annoying know-it-all attitude would become way too familiar, if not in a bad way.)


	4. Team Plasma

**Chapter 3: Team Plasma**

Black didn't know how it happened, but as time passed, he and White and Cheren and Bianca became inseperable. They would do _everything _together. When they were in kindergarten, they would play at the playground and have playdates at each other's houses. These usually took place at Cheren and Bianca's (middle-class, psshh) houses, because Black's parents were always busy. They encouraged him to go out of the house, but Black suspected that they were trying to get rid of him, the little pest. And White's house...well, whenever the subject came up, White refused to talk about it.

Even as they became older, advancing into first and second grade, they were still best friends. (Black wouldn't admit it, but he didn't have any other friends besides them.) They were always there for him no matter what. Once in a while, Black's old friends would always come to make fun of him; and as soon as they left, Bianca decided to play a prank on them.

And so the rivalry between Black's new friends and his old friends began. It always made Black grin whenever he saw the furious faces of the bullies whenever they had a prank played on them, even though they got revenge the next day. Black always loved going to school because of this, and he'd come up with new ideas to get back at the bullies every night.

After school, Black, Cheren, Bianca, and White would go to the park and play for hours. They never ran out of things to do, even if the games they played were basic (like tag and hide-and-seek). It always gave them a thrill to win, and they were all competitive. They would make up new games, too, and sometimes they would just go on the swings or something. They never, ever, got bored.

Once, and Black remembered this very clearly (it was one of his favorite memories), they were on the swings at the Accumula Town park. There were only two swings, and Black and Cheren were hogging them while Bianca and White tried to get them off. "Your turn's already over!" White complained, pulling at the swing. Black just looked back and smirked at her. He was getting higher and higher, even beating Cheren, who was a master at everything.

White got infuriated, though, and the thing with her is that when she's mad, you'd better watch out. She grabbed the swing with Black still on, who gripped it as tight as he could, wondering what the heck she was doing. He found out soon enough, though, when White pushed it as hard as she could and the swing went flying into the air. She was surprisingly strong, and despite Black's best efforts to hang on for his dear life, it slipped from his hands and he soared so high that he felt like he could touch the sun, and the clouds drifting in the clear blue sky.

But before he knew it, he was falling, and he yelled as loud as he could, "Someone save me!" It all happened so fast. He vaguely saw his friends rushing beneath him.

He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting to feel the roughness of sand, but he heard White shout, "One, two, three...ready? Catch him!" He felt Bianca and White's arms trying to grasp his body, but the force of his fall caused them to fall over, right onto Cheren.

The four of them collapsed in a heap, arms and legs twisted, laughing and laughing, and Black was just relieved that he wasn't dead. Bianca's foot was on his stomach, White's hair was in his face, and Cheren's arm was around his neck, choking him. Then they heard a muffled grunt and Cheren's growl: "Ow, you're heavy! Get _off _me!"

Their laughter filled the playground.

— - O - —

The days, the years, went on like that, and they never had a care in the world.

One day, though, when Black and his friends were playing at the park, something weird happened. They heard a voice, shouting, and chanting. A crowd had gathered around something, and he and his friends stopped their game of basketball to go see.

"Hail Team Plasma!"

There was a weird-looking boy with a green ponytail and a black cap, next to another older man. They were surrounded by people with uniforms and hoods and Pokémon. The old guy was blabbering on and on. Something about "liberating" Pokémon. Black didn't even know what that meant.

Of course, he'd heard of Pokémon before. He'd never been particularly interested in the creatures, and they were just _there_. Sure, he learned about Pokémon at school, but he really didn't pay much attention to it, honestly. His family pet was a Lillipup, but other than that, Black had never seen a real Pokémon before.

"I am Ghetsis, and I speak on behalf of Team Plasma. My fellow citizens of Unova, we must liberate all the Pokémon. This means we must free them all! They have suffered too long under the control of humans."

Black had no idea what he was talking about. Maybe this old guy was going crazy.

As he droned on, snippets of words caught Black's attention. _Freeing Pokémon. Equal to humans. _He didn't understand until the boy with the green ponytail walked over to them. He was hardly older than Black. Maybe by a few years.

"Do you get what he's talking about?" Black asked the green-haired boy.

The guy hesitated, shoved his hands in his pockets. There was a Rubix cube hanging from his belt, Black noticed. Only Cheren ever did Rubix cubes. He was the only one who could understand the annoying cubes that made Black want to tear his hair out in fustration after trying to solve it for ten minutes.

"Yeah," was all the boy said, somewhat shyly.

Black was annoyed. What kind of an answer was that supposed to be? He snapped, "Who _are _you anyway?" He had to admit he sounded rude, but he didn't really care. Bianca, White, and Cheren all fixed their eyes on the guy, waiting curiously for the answer.

"My name's N. I'm part of Team Plasma." The green ponytail boy looked uncertain, maybe of how much he should tell them. "Our goal is to free Pokémon from all Trainers, you know." As he talked more, he seemed to relax. "Humans are _selfish_. Why should we have the right to control the Pokémon?" His fists bunched up and Black saw tears at the edge of his eyes. "They suffer so much! We have to free them _all!"_

Black stared at N, confused and disappointed that he was talking nonsense, like the Ghetsis guy. He was getting so emotional about Pokémon, and he seemed a little crazy, to be honest. Did this mean that Black should free his Lillipup? Why would he want to do that?

What was Team Plasma _talking_ about?

"You're all stupid," Black said out loud, not caring when N's expression drooped a little with hurt. "C'mon guys, let's go." He looked over at his friends, waiting for them to agree. After all, Cheren and Bianca were staring at N, looking as confused as Black felt.

And as for White, Black knew she had a bunch of Pokémon friends, although he'd never asked her about it before. He turned to leave, but stopped abruptly when he saw the expression on her face.

Her eyes were shining as she gazed at N, like he was some kind of hero or something.

— - O - —

For the next few weeks, Black tried to forget all about that strange encounter and Team Plasma. It was nothing, he assured himself. But trouble was brewing; his parents once turned on the TV and found news of a Patrat being kidnapped from someone's house. It was Team Plasma, the police said.

And now his parents were acting weird, too. Before Black went to bed, he had heard them discussing, in a worried whisper, about Black's friends. They were concerned about something, at least.

The next day, they invited White, Cheren, and Bianca over to their house for the first time. His friends' eyes widened when they saw his grand mansion, the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the grand golden staircase. "It's like a castle!" Bianca exclaimed. She was in that stage where she fantasized about princesses and princes and palaces all day. She immediately ordered Black to give them a tour of the mansion. So he did. And she fell completely in love with it.

Cheren and White, thankfully, weren't so over-the-top about it all (although White, who wasn't exactly rich, was gazing around, too stunned for words).The day went great; they played in his enormous backyard and went on the swings and jumped on the trampoline, and when they were tired, they went inside and watched a movie, and then Black's parents took them out to eat at the best, most expensive restaurant in Unova. The cake and ice cream was amazing.

But when Cheren and Bianca's parents came to pick them up and White walked home, Black's parents had stared after the brunette girl. "Cheren and Bianca are all right, but her...look at her _clothes_," his mom said in shock. "They're...all..." She shook her head.

Black shrugged. He never really noticed how poor White was anymore. "That's all you care about?"

"Black," his father said, staring at him with a sudden intensity in his eyes. "Who—exactly—is she?"

Black got angry, defensive. His parents were being just as bad as the bullies! "Hey, she might not be the richest person in Unova, but she's still a good person! And she's my friend!"

"Do you know where she lives?"

"Well, no, but..."

"You've had playdates at Cheren and Bianca's houses, but what about her?"

"Um, her parents don't have much..._money_." Black was afraid to say that word. His parents were obsessed with it.

His parents exchanged glances, and Black knew they weren't thinking anything good. They appeared to be having a silent conversation with just their eyes. Finally, Black's dad gave him the news.

"You can't be friends with her anymore."


	5. Shattered

**Chapter 4: Shattered**

"You can't be friends with her anymore."

His father's words hit him, hard, and Black took an angry, disbelieving step backward. "_What? _Why? Are you kidding me?" He didn't believe this. He _couldn't _believe this. Did his parents truly think that they could choose his friends?

"No, I am not kidding," his dad said flatly. "These are hard times, Black. Trouble with Team Plasma is brewing, and you can't just trust anyone you want. You never know who's trustworthy and who's not. This is for your safety."

"You're kidding me. Do you really think _White's_ part of Team Plasma?"

Black's mother gave him a sharp look. "Don't you start talking back, young man. We have to be cautious about who we make friends with. After all, people are greedy for money." _Like you, _Black wanted to say, but he didn't. "They might be taking advantage of us, because many people are more than willing to steal our money. You know how money-hungry they are these days."

Black was disgusted. His parents were such _hypocrites_. They accused other people of being greedy for money, when in fact _they _were the selfish ones. "I know White way better than you!" His hands clenched into fists. "She may not have much money, but she's not going to _steal _from us! I _know_ her. You don't! So trust me!"

"That's not all of it, though." Black's father was glaring at him, and Black thought he was acting like his son was a disappointment to their family. Despite this, however, he definitely wasn't prepared for the next words that came out of his dad's mouth.

"You are a disgrace to our family, playing with a poor girl like her."

The words slapped Black across the face, leaving him reeling. He took a step forward, glared at his father with as anger as he could. "You—you..." Words deserted him, so he said it silently, instead. _You're not my parents._

"You can never talk to her again." His mother's eyes were made of steel, cold and hard. She looked like she knew what was in Black's mind. "Starting tomorrow. I've had enough of your disgraceful choices of friends. What happened to your old ones?"

_My old "friends"? You mean those bullies, those people who only befriended me because I was rich? The people who were the _real_ ones to take advantage of me?_ Black was too furious for words. How blind could his parents get?

"No," he said. "No way."

"Are you a part of this family or not?" his father snapped.

_No, I'm not._

Despite his fury, his urge to defy his father, the words stuck in his throat, until he could only swallow hard and nod, ignoring the tears forming in his eyes. He hated himself for doing so, hated himself for betraying White like that. He had never felt so distant from his parents, either—were they really actually his parents?

"Good, I thought so. Now you must not talk to her. And at any time, I can ask your teacher at school, so don't try to speak with her there, either." His father paused, and Black could hardly recognize the man standing in front of him. "Don't even _look _at her, or else you are not my son."

His parents walked away after that, silently, coldly. Black stared at their backs, too stunned for thoughts, to angry to move. Only until his parents disappeared did he whisper the words that instantly formed in his mind.

"I hate you."

— - O - —

The next day, Black was afraid to look at White. He got up early and walked to school without her. The path to school seemed empty without White by his side laughing and talking, and Black had never felt lonelier. After he arrived at school, he immediately began a (somewhat awkward) conversation with Cheren, refusing to acknowledge when White entered the classroom. From that minute on, he turned his head the other way whenever she glanced over at him, and when she tried to talk, he simply ignored her. He ignored the pain in his heart, and he ignored his instinct to smile at her and say hello.

Finally, she caught on and confronted him when they were walking home from school in the afternoon. People left the school building until they were alone in the school courtyard.

"What's _with _you, Black? Why weren't you talking to me today?"

She didn't look angry. In fact, she looked amused, as if he were just playing a prank on her or something. She definitely had no idea what he was really thinking, or what he was really about to say.

"White..." He hated himself.

"Yeah?" She tilted her head to one side, a playful smile on her lips. At the sight of it, Black hated himself even more.

He clenched his fists, hard. "Well...um..." His parents' voices echoed in his head, repeating over and over. _Are you a part of this family or not...you can never talk to her again...disgraceful choices of friends..._

He was sick of them, sick of himself, and sick of everything. He just couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take the fact that White was being so nice to him when in reality he was just as cruel as his parents. He hated his parents, who would do anything for money, and they really didn't care about anyone other than themselves. Black didn't want to think about anything anymore, and thoughts filled up inside his head until he finally exploded.

"Stop. _Stop_ it. _Don't ever talk to me again_!"

At his sudden outburst, White's eyes flew open with shock and—it pained Black to realize—a sudden fear of him. "W-what are you talking about? Is this a joke or something?" From his expression, however, she could clearly tell that it wasn't just a little joke.

The rain started falling, then. The first raindrops splashed to the ground in a suddenly gray and cloud-covered sky.

There was a chance that Black could just deny everything and say it was just a joke after all. But he had started it, and he wouldn't stop. "You-you're...ugly and dirty and everything!" His voice cracked and shook, which he wasn't at all proud of. His knuckles were white by now. "Why don't you even wear clean clothes, huh?"

Hurt sparked in her eyes. "Black, you...you of all people would know why!"

Black wasn't done yet. It was too late, he couldn't stop now. Like a spark of a fire, he had started something big, something he could not stop, however much he wanted to. The flames roared in his ears. "Nobody likes you, so go away!"

A flashback came to him then, and suddenly they were in kindergarten again and he had stolen just her cookie. He, with all of his friends, had insulted her and taunted her just in the same way as this, but this was different. This was betrayal, the rejection of a long, trustworthy friendship.

The rain came down harder.

Black tried to steady his voice before he spoke. "Do you remember, back in kindergarten, when we all bullied you for being poor and ugly? Well, it's all true! Every single word of it!" Tears formed at the edge of his eyes and he angrily swiped them away, humiliated.

Maybe it was the rememberance of their kindergarten days, back when they were enemies. Maybe it was just the insults. But whatever the reason, her shocked blue eyes filled with angry tears. Pain stabbed at his heart; this was hurting him too, but he couldn't imagine what White was feeling right now, losing her first and best friend. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop his own tears, and took a deep breath before continuing.

"Why don't you have _any _money at all? What, are your parents so lazy that they couldn't educate themselves and find a job like everyone else?" The second he spoke it, he regretted it. He knew that it wasn't true. But he pushed on, his heart pounding and pounding. "Well, news flash! It's time they realized that they need to step up! This world is a hard place, you know, and you can't survive by doing nothing!"

His father's words echoed in his ears again. _You are a disgrace to our family, playing with a poor girl like her. _His anger burst out of him. "You don't deserve to be friends with me!"

And he knew that it was true. He, Black, was a member of the richest family in Unova, and she was nothing at all. Rich and poor didn't mix. He deserved better than her.

"Then...is our friendship over?" White asked in a tentative, quiet voice. He'd never seen her broken like this before, and his heart throbbed with pain and sympathy for her, but they were feelings he couldn't show at any cost.

Almost like in a vision, in front of his eyes, Black watched his friendship with White develop over the years. The moment when he first stole a cookie from her, and he and his friends had bullied her afterward. The moment when he first felt bad for her, and her eyes were a beautiful sky-blue, sparking with revenge. He saw her being bullied, he saw himself standing up for her in front of his friends, he saw her pretty smile and truly happy expression. He saw the years pass by, playing with Cheren and Bianca, going to the park. He saw himself on the swing and White pushing him, and they'd collapsed on each other. He saw all those moments, the signs of their friendship. Oh, how he missed those old days, the days of their innocent childhood, when everything would always be all right and they didn't have to worry about anything at all.

He realized that their friendship was like a glass picture, full of memories and happy times. Their friendship was beautiful and he never wanted to throw it away. But it was also delicate, one move and it would break. Now, he was shattering it, and the million tiny pieces of glass flew everywhere and it hurt. It hurt himself, it hurt Cheren and Bianca, but most of all, it hurt White.

She was the one whose life depended on that glass picture, and he had gone and shattered it right in front of her very eyes. Her life was broken, her only friendships were gone, just like that.

And it was all Black's fault.

The tears fell from his own eyes, falling alongside the rain, which was pouring and pouring relentlessly.

"I-I..." White's voice shook, and so did her hands, by her sides. The pain in her voice was sharp, like the broken glass of the picture. And the ice in her eyes was back, the freezing cold ice that Black hadn't seen for years. But it was back, just like in kindergarten, when he'd bullied her. And he knew with absolute certainty that the ice would never go away again.

"I hate you, Black! I _hate_ you!"

The very same words he had wanted to say to his parents, but didn't have the courage.

With that, she rushed away, tears falling from her eyes, and Black turned and ran as well. He ran as fast as he could, his footsteps pounding the ground along with his heart. He was crying freely now, the tears relentless and the world blurry, making him stumble and trip. But he kept going. He wanted to get away from there, the place where his and White's friendship had shattered and left nothing behind.

He regretted it all.

* * *

**Notes**_ -_ Ahh, I'm sorry I made this part so sad! :( Don't get me wrong, I love ChessShipping! Everyone, don't get your hopes down though! Will they ever become friends again? Let's find out later...


	6. Lost

**Chapter 5: Lost**

The next day, White wasn't at school.

Black had no idea where she'd gone, or where she could have gone. He forced himself not to feel guilty about abandoning White, but there was always a nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him that he'd messed up big, and that he'd just lost his best friend. Cheren and Bianca, who hadn't heard what happened, treated him like normal. They only wondered where White had gone, but Black knew that if they found out what he'd done, his friendship with Cheren and Bianca would be gone for sure. The blond girl would probably yell at Black for being mean to White, just like she did when they were kindergarteners.

He'd really screwed up this time.

A few more days passed with White never showing up at school, and Black began to realize just how lonely his life was without her. Her smile, her laugh, her sky-blue eyes, always made him smile with her, but now she was gone and Black couldn't stop feeling guilty. He knew he'd caused it, and the regret tore at him every minute of the day. It was hard to pretend that nothing had happened, that everything was fine.

One day at school, a rumor came around to Black that White had left Nuvema Town with some mysterious stranger. When he first heard those words, he almost strangled the person, grabbing their shirt and yelling, "Where'd she go? Who did she leave with?"

"Stop! Let go of me and I'll tell you!"

With difficulty, Black let go of the person's shirt. His heart was pounding like crazy, but he ignored it and concentrated on the person he was facing. "Well?" he demanded.

"This is just what I _heard_, but some green-haired boy came to her and asked her to leave with him or something. Apparently he offered her a better life, with more money and stuff. You know how she's poor and everything, so I guess she agreed to go. I'm not really sure if it's true or not, but..."

Blah, blah, blah. Black didn't listen to any more. His head was whirling and blood pounded in his ears. He was completely _sure _that the green-haired guy was N, the person who they'd met at Accumula Town. Black remembered how White was staring at N like he was a genius, and the truth hit him in the face.

White had joined Team Plasma.

He knew that she had a bunch of wild Pokémon friends, and he remembered now, too late, what White had told him before. One of those Pokémon had been caught, and she wanted to free it. He recalled her desperate, angry face, with tears in her eyes. Black mentally slapped himself for not really listening to her. He hadn't cared then, but it really mattered now.

White had left with N because she, like him, wanted to liberate all the Pokémon in the world from the humans. Sure, money and a better life were part of her reasons, but Black knew White wasn't that selfish. He could hear N's voice, promising her riches and wealth, a life of luxury. He could imagine N leading White away from Black, the bad influence.

He clenched his fists and banged them on his desk in fustration, tears in his eyes, and he knew that he _hated_ N. That crazy green-haired boy had stole Black's best friend. (Although inside, Black knew that _he _was the one who'd caused White to run away, but he didn't care. Black also knew that he and White officially _weren't_ best friends anymore, but he didn't care about that either.)

He couldn't believe that he'd lost White to Team Plasma, a stupid organization who wanted to _free _Pokémon. All his life, Black had grown up seeing loyal Pokémon who would do anything for their Trainers. (Most of them were his parents' rich friends, who owned several Pokémon.) He'd never actually thought about the Pokémon's feelings, but he'd seen their happy expressions and smiles, and knew that they loved their Trainers. Heck, even his family's pet Lillipup was joyful all the time.

Anger bubbled up inside him, against Team Plasma and N and Ghestis, against all their goals and values.

Team Plasma was _wrong, _and he would show them.

— - O - —

After some careful planning, Black was ready and confident about what he was going to do. It was actually more like a spur-of-the-moment plan that just popped into Black's head and that he decided to go with, but whatever. He was ready.

He waited till midnight, when his parents were sleeping. He kept yawning and was almost asleep, but he was definitely lucky that his overly-social parents weren't hosting a party, for once. He crept from his bedroom and, knowing where his parents kept some of their vast amount of money, slipped some of the cash into his pocket. Then he escaped out one of the doors and into the blackness of night. The moon and stars were glowing, showing him the way.

Black jogged across Nuvema Town until he was standing in front of Professor Juniper's lab. The lights were on inside, so he went around and came in through the back door. (Thanks to his parents' wealth and power, Juniper had given him a tour of her lab before.) It was a room that barely anyone went inside except for the professor, just a storage room for some of the wild Pokémon that the lab attendants had caught.

As soon as he entered, he saw a table with three Poké Balls sitting on it, just waiting patiently for him to come and take them. And so Black did. He took the Poké Ball in the middle, the one that said _Tepig_ on it. To be honest, he really didn't care which one he stole. He just needed a Pokémon, because his parents had always nagged him about how dangerous the world was, and also, more importantly, Black couldn't defeat N and Team Plasma without Pokémon.

He hadn't really been interested in Pokémon before, but White's joining Team Plasma really fueled his anger. Now he was desperate to prove, to White and to the world, that Team Plasma was wrong. He wanted to train a team of Pokémon, make them loyal and friendly to him, and then he would show N that Pokémon didn't _want _to be freed from their Trainers. In that tiny storange room in Nuvema Town, Black already knew he was going to show the whole entire world. He dropped the Poké Ball in his pocket, turned around, and took a step back toward the door.

Wait.

Black didn't know why, but the thought of Cheren and Bianca came into his mind. He remembered how much Cheren had learned about Pokémon and how much Bianca loved the cute little creatures. He recalled them talking about wanting to go on a Pokémon journey, defeat all the Gym Leaders, become a powerful Pokémon Trainer.

And to do that, they needed Pokémon, too.

Black grinned to himself in the darkness of the lab, thinking of his weird (in a good way) best friends. Cheren and Bianca had definitely grown on him since the day they had first met. He took the other two Poké Balls, the ones that said _Snivy _and _Oshawott, _and stuffed them in his pocket. Then he took out his parents' money that he'd stolen, and placed the wads of cash on the table. A couple hundred-dollar bills.

After all, he didn't have to be like his greedy, selfish parents. Being friends with White sure had taught him stuff—how to be generous and honest. As Black remembered the brunette girl, his heart ached for her again. The next time he saw her, he would apologize and then maybe they could be best friends again. He smiled at the thought, his cheeks reddening in a blush as he thought of her pretty hair and beautiful blue eyes.

Anyway, if he paid for the Pokémon, it technically wasn't stealing, right?

He left that thought behind, in the lab storage room, as he slipped out and back into the fresh, summer night breeze.

Despite his mind warning him that it was dangerous, Black left Snivy's Poké Ball on Cheren's doorstep and Oshawott's Poké Ball on Bianca's. He didn't put a note or sign his name or anything, they would know it was him. After all, who else could it be? And as for potential thieves, Black didn't think so. Nuvema Town was a small town, unnoticed, in the corner of the region. Nobody really knew what it was (except that everyone knew there was a rich, grand mansion here).

At the thought, Black's gaze fell on his huge mansion, like a palace compared to all the other tiny houses in Nuvema Town. He knew had to get out of here. His parents' greed for money was overpowering them so they couldn't act rationally anymore. So this was what being rich did to you.

He took one last stop at his mansion, just to sneak up to his bedroom and snatch his pet Lillipup's Poké Ball off his desk. He wouldn't abandon his faithful, loyal pet. If anything, it could become another powerful Pokémon on his team. He locked the door for the last time and stepped away, gathering all his courage and confidence.

Without White, his life was blank, colorless. He had to go find her, destroy Team Plasma once and for all, especially_ N_. With a silent goodbye slipping from his lips, he walked slowly at first, then broke into a run, heading out of Nuvema Town and into the world that lay beyond, promising freedom and adventure, even with all its mysteries and dangers.

He was going to find White and N...one day...

Watch out, world, because Black was coming, and he was going to conquer everything.


	7. Amateurs

**Chapter 6: Amateurs**

Black stared down at the Poké Ball in his hands. It was his Pokémon now, so why did he feel so weird holding it? What if the Tepig didn't like him or something? He licked his lips, feeling suddenly nervous, and then he mentally scolded himself. _Get a grip, Black! It's just a Pokémon. _Angry at himself now, he hurled the red-and-white sphere. The Poké Ball flew through the air, hit the ground, opened in a flash of light. An orange pig Pokémon was standing there, staring up at Black.

"Um, hi," he said, sounding pathetic even to himself. "I'm Black."

The Tepig didn't respond, just continued to stare up at him. Black folded his arms, feeling awkward from talking to a Pokémon.

He let out his pet Lillipup, who he'd known since he was young. At least he didn't have to feel weird talking to Lillipup. Maybe the two Pokémon could have a conversation or something. All of a sudden, Black realized that he didn't know the first thing about Pokémon. He couldn't even really _talk _with his Tepig; how could he be able to control it in battle? He'd never be able to defeat N and Team Plasma if his Pokémon didn't even listen to him.

Lillipup sniffed Tepig, who snapped back in response. With a startled cry, Lillipup jumped away.

_Did I seriously choose the wrong Pokémon?_

Shrugging away his doubts, Black strode forward. "C'mon, Tepig. We're all friends here! Don't be mean." He continued on ahead, determined to show confidence, and his Pokémon followed. They were at the entrance of Route 2, gazing out at the winding paths and Trainers who blocked their way like disasters waiting to happen.

Now he was nervous again. He'd never actually had a Pokémon battle before, but he'd seen the celebrities on TV controlling their Pokémon with loud and strong commands, and then the creatures would do whatever their Trainer said. Maybe it was just that easy—maybe he just had to say an order, and his Pokémon would listen.

Black stepped in front of a Trainer's path, and the boy (a Youngster) immediately ran over. "When two Trainers' eyes meet, they must battle!" The boy grinned. "My name's Jimmy. I'm an expert Trainer, ya know. Good luck beating me, 'cause you look like an amateur."

"Wait—" Black began, enraged, but Jimmy threw his Poké Ball. It flew through the air and almost hit Black in the face. Lucky for himself, Black jumped backward so the red-and-white sphere hit him in the shoulder instead. "What the heck was that for?" he demanded.

"Oops, sorry. I missed."

"You _missed_?!"

Jimmy paused, then spoke again, indignantly. "Well, I'm actually kind of an amateur Trainer too. I got my Patrat a few weeks ago, but I'm still better than you." He gave Black a challenging glare, daring him to disagree.

Black was disgusted. _Are all Trainers like this? _He was beginning to have second thoughts about going on a journey now. "Whatever," he said aloud, throwing his Tepig's Poké Ball. (Thankfully, he didn't hit the kid in the face, although he kind of wanted to.)

"Tepig! Use Tackle!"

To his shock, the orange pig Pokémon actually turned around and tackled Black instead of Jimmy's Patrat. He flew backward and landed on the ground, hard. "What the—? _Tepig_!" He managed to stand up, trying to ignore Jimmy's laughing. "You're not supposed to hit _me_! Do you even know what a battle _is_?"

Black could swear that Tepig was laughing at him too. He suddenly had a horrible vision of himself in Team Plasma's castle, or headquarters, or whatever it was called. It was a grand place with high ceilings, and N was facing him across the battlefield, ready for the most intense of all battles. "_Emboar, use Flamethrower!" _Black yelled. And the stupid Pokémon turned around and blasted Black with the flames. He collapsed on the floor, his skin searing hot, and White and all the other Team Plasma grunts were laughing hysterically at him. N stared down at him impassively, saying, "_What an amateur. __Looks like we don't have to kill him. His Pokémon killed him for us instead."_

Black was furious at the Pokémon. His Lillipup had never been in battle before, but even it probably knew to attack the enemy Pokémon and not its own Trainer! And this annoying fire pig didn't!

"Hey, Tepig?" Black growled. "I have an good idea! Attack the_ stupid_ Patrat, not me! Got that?"

Tepig just snorted at him and turned away, and Black had a feeling that this was going to be a_ long_ journey.

— - O - —

To his credit, Black actually defeated Jimmy, which shocked himself and the other Trainer. When Jimmy refused to give him prize money, Black let it go because, seriously, only 112 Poké Dollars? He already had a mansion and basically everything he wanted. Black strode away from the other boy, who was sobbing on the ground with his fainted Patrat lying next to him.

There were two more Trainers on Route 2, making a total of three, and most of them disgusted Black. First of all, Jimmy was a complete weirdo, and there was this other girl who recognized his face. (Well, it was hard not to, since he was famous, of course.) The girl actually turned out to be a total fan of him, and during the whole battle, she fangirled all over him. It was the weirdest thing Black had ever seen.

The third guy wasn't so bad, and Black was relieved to battle a _normal _person for once. He defeated him with Lillipup, who seemed to be a pretty strong battler. Tepig still acted like it was the boss and didn't listen to a word he said, but Black managed to defeat Jimmy with it, so it probably couldn't be _that _hard to train the stubborn Pokémon.

Black was exhausted at the end of the whole thing. After he healed his team at the Pokémon Center, he spent hours exploring Striaton City. He ventured into the Dreamyard, a quiet place that was empty of people. The place was so silent, it almost had a creepy air to it. Black shivered. He wasn't scared, but something felt strange here. He'd heard rumors about it before, rumors that said powerful Pokémon lurked here who could easily knock you out.

He was just about to turn around and leave when he stumbled upon a wild Munna. It was a small pink thing with flowers all over it, and Black decided that he probably didn't want to catch it, coming up with a conclusion that it was one of the more girly Pokémon.

He called for his Lillipup to use Tackle and waited, expecting the fainted Munna to fall to the floor, so they could get out of here. When the Munna resisted the attack, Lillipup tried tackling the other Pokémon again and again, but the Munna didn't budge.

"What's wrong with it?" Black wondered to his Lillipup, who looked as bewildered as he was.

The Munna narrowed its eyes, despite trembling all over from fatigue.

Black narrowed his eyes back. _Why is it so persistent?_ Staring at the pink Pokémon with the stubborn look in its eyes, he finally gave up with a shrug. "Come on, Lillipup. Let's just catch this thing." He'd stocked up on Poké Balls at Striaton, so he hurled one of the spheres at Munna, not yet quite used to the feeling.

Munna deflected it back at him.

Black tried another one, which flew back right into his hand. Gritting his teeth in fustration, he hurled every single Poké Ball he had at the obstinate Pokémon. It took eleven tries before the Munna became trapped in one of the red-and-white spheres and couldn't fight its way out. The button clicked shut, locking Munna inside.

Satisfied and quite proud of himself, Black picked up the Poké Ball. He'd wanted to catch it because he admired its determined spirit and strong will. _Never judge a Pokémon by its appearance. _His teacher back at school had ingrained that into everyone's minds, and now Black allowed himself a small grin as he remembered.

The sky was darkening. It was evening, later than he realized, so he checked into the Striaton Grand Hotel for the night and got his own suite with a huge window overlooking the city. Letting out Lillipup, Tepig, and his newly-caught Munna, Black flopped onto his bed and stared out the window, watching the indigo sky fade to black and the twinkling stars appear. He could almost see the whole entire sky above him, and it felt _powerful, _like he could reach up and touch the moon.

And as Black fell asleep in his bed that night, the thought of finding White and defeating Team Plasma still stayed fresh in his mind.


	8. Found?

**Chapter 7: Found?**

When Black met Cheren at the Pokémon Center the next day, the other boy came up with the idea to defeat all eight of the Unova Gym Leaders, and Black thought he was crazy. The know-it-all insisted that it was necessary for them to get stronger, blah blah blah. According to Cheren, "everyone" did it.

Black could think of about five different excuses, but to be honest with himself, the real reason he didn't want to was because he was lazy. Having your own mansion and a bunch of servants did that to you. Basically, when Black thought about a journey, he thought of travelling across the region snoozing in hotels and eating at the most luxurious restaurants in the city. Oh yeah, and there was also the occasional Trainer battle.

He definitely wasn't looking forward to having some kind of Gym battle when he could be chowing down at a buffet. But when he couldn't find a good arguement against Cheren fast enough (and Cheren's brain was sure quicker than the rest of him), the other boy dragged him all the way across Striaton City to the Gym, where more unknown disasters awaited Black and his three Pokémon.

So basically, Cheren shoved then into the Striaton Gym, locked the doors behind, and said, "Good luck!" Well, Black _did_ need it.

He battled with Lillipup and Munna (honestly, he was afraid of using Tepig) and watched, satisfied, as the other Trainers' Pokémon fell. He had a new weapon now—Munna and its unyielding will. He quickly found out that having a defensive Pokémon was a huge advantage, though Munna wasn't particularly strong either.

At the far end, the Gym Leaders Cilan, Cress, and Chili greeted the challenger.

"Do I have to fight all three of you?" Black raised his eyebrows disbelievingly. He was then asked his starter Pokémon, and when he said Tepig, he found Cress standing across the battlefield from him.

"I'm Cress, and I'll be your opponent today," the water-type Gym Leader said with a grin.

Black didn't care who he battled as long as he didn't have to fight all three of them. And then the battle began with the throw of the Poké Ball and a flash of light. Black didn't have much interest in defeating the Gym Leaders, but he figured it was worth a try. After more than a few tries, he watched, satisfied, as his Munna finally managed to knock out the guy's Lillipup.

And at the end, Cress's last Pokémon, Panpour, was still standing across the battlefield. The water monkey wiped out Lillipup and Munna by using Water Gun repeatedly, so Black had no choice but to use Tepig. He called it out with a sinking heart. Despite himself not caring whether he won or lost, he found his heart pounding and hoping Tepig would just listen to him, for once.

Panpour was faster, and Black had to admit it was pretty good. The water monkey dodged Tepig's attempt to attack and then fired back. Black watched, annoyed, as Tepig took two Water Gun attacks, and then the fire-type starter got mad. Unleashing its full fury, the fire pig let out a fiery blast that left Panpour lying on the ground, thoroughly defeated.

He and Cress were both stunned, and after staring numbly at his Tepig, who was wearing a confident smirk, Black finally realized that he'd just won his first Gym Badge. After recieving the glittering Trio Badge, he silently thanked Cheren; maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

— - O - —

After he and Bianca and Cheren parted ways, Black tore through the Unova region in search of White and Team Plasma. He didn't find them at any of the places he visited—Nacrene, Castelia, etc. So he kept getting stronger, defeating Lenora and Burgh and recieving gleaming Badges as a reward. Despite his slow start as a Trainer, his potential had sparked and burst into flame, as evidenced by his powerful team of Pokémon, which was growing slowly but surely.

It wasn't until Nimbasa City, though, that he saw _them _again.

Black was making his way toward the Gym, having heard stories of Elesa and her shocking electric-types by countless fans. He already knew a little about her—her fashion shows were private, and they were so expensive it wasn't even funny. He hadn't personally _been_ to one, of course (who would go to those useless things?), but his mom had gone as an important guest. There it was again: money equaled power.

It was sunset, and the sun was lowering behind the clouds, turning the sky pink and orange. Apparently there was an amusement park nearby too, and it must've been pretty popular, because it was open even as late as now. The whole place was crowded. The Ferris wheel and roller coaster called out to him, calling his name, but Black had promised to himself that he wasn't going on any rides until he defeated the supermodel that everyone was talking about.

He shoved his way through the crowd, and when people glared at him as he knocked them over, he just grinned at them pleasantly. He didn't care. But somehow he got pushed around too, because he ended up far away from the Gym, at the entrance to the amusement park. (Really! He didn't know how it happened. It wasn't on _purpose _or anything like that.)

Black was about to start yelling at everyone to get them to move out of his way. They could then form a path for him to walk down, just like all those celebrities, because he _was_ pretty famous. And everyone would be fans of him, and they'd be snapping pictures and screaming his name and...

_Shut up, Black. Stop daydreaming like an idiot. You have to get to back to the Gym, remember?_

Oh, yeah. That was why he was even here in the first place. With a sigh, Black was just about to shove at someone when he caught sight of...

...a girl with a brown ponytail over a pink cap.

_Wait. White?_ he wondered instantly, and his mind became numb until all he could think of was getting to her. With all thoughts of getting to the Gym forgotten, Black pushed more people out of his way, steadily getting closer to that girl. Her back was turned, but then she turned around and looked directly at him.

White.

Yep, it was her all right. She had left with N only a few weeks ago, but it seemed like such a long time since then. Black could recognize her face anywhere. She was the girl from his childhood memories, his dreams. Those beautiful sky eyes, pretty face, chocolate brown hair... He couldn't help staring at her for a few moments, to be sure she was real and not another daydream.

"Black?" It was a whisper, her lips barely moving. Her blue eyes widened with shock, with disbelief, almost even _fear_. Amazingly, he was able to hear her quiet words over all the noise of the surrounding people.

And then White turned around and disappeared into the crowd, her hair swinging behind her. Shocked, Black ran after her, seeing her with another taller figure. He already knew who it was, before even seeing the guy. Black had only ever seen him once, but the name, the face, was etched permanently into his brain, next to the word "hate." _N,_ with that green hair under a black cap.

Hatred for the guy swelled up in Black's heart again, and he rushed after the pair, watching them head for the Ferris wheel. They paid for tickets and continued toward where the cars were loading. Black slapped a five-dollar bill on the counter, not even caring if it wasn't enough, grabbed a ticket, and raced after White and N's disappearing figures. _White, you're not getting away this time!_

He caught up with them just as they entered an empty passenger car and the doors were about to close. Sprinting for all his life was worth, he burst into the car and collapsed onto the floor, panting and exhausted, right as the doors slid shut.

"B-Black?" was all White managed to choke out as she stared down at him.

He grinned wearily up at her, but he was uncertain of her expression. "Yup, it's me. Black."

N folded his arms like they were just about to have a delightful chat, and immediately Black knew that this conversation wouldn't be the slightest bit enjoyable. "Black, eh? White's told me all about you." His expression didn't really give much away either.

_Like, in a good way or a bad way?_ Black wanted to ask, but N's expression warned him not to.

White finally regained her ability to speak again and said coldly, "You're not supposed to be here." Her words, her eyes, were like icicles, jabbing at him and leaving him cold and frozen inside. He'd expected this from her, of course, but he definitely wasn't prepared for how much it hurt. Despair engulfed Black, and he hated himself for betraying White like that so many weeks ago. It had turned out to be the worst decision he'd ever made.

Oh, why did he have to listen to his parents?

Since he knew neither N or White was willing to have him sit on the chair next to them, Black settled himself as comfortably as he could on the floor, watching the setting sun and the Nimbasa City skyline from the window. The place was still bustling with activity, with yellow lights illuminating the shadows growing across the city.

He realized that N and White were looking at each other, and Black felt a stab of jealousy. Maybe White was best friends with _N _now. She'd gone and ditched him for Team Plasma. Anger boiled up inside him, but he forced himself to keep calm.

"C'mon, White," he said to her, pleadingly, thinking longingly of all the times when they would play together in their childhood. He missed those times. "Let's go back home. Just you and me." He glared over in N's direction. "You don't need _him._"

When she didn't respond, Black stared down at his hands, wondering what he could do to earn her forgiveness. He hesitated for a moment, then said quietly so that N couldn't hear, "I'm sorry, White. Really."

At his apology, he thought he caught a flash of something else in her eyes, but it left as quickly as it came. Her face was as emotionless as stone now, and he longed for the old White to return, not this...new version of her. It was N's fault, he was sure. "I'm part of Team Plasma now," she replied, looking down at him with no expression in her eyes. "We're going to liberate all the Pokémon in the world. Don't try to stop us."

N nodded. He hadn't said really said anything yet, only staring out the window as the sun fell lower behind the horizon. There were clouds in the darkening indigo sky, obscuring the stars and the moon.

Despite the growing fear in him, Black tried to laugh. He wanted to show confidence, that he wasn't afraid. "You don't even know what you're doing, White! It's stupid to get involved in this mess. Let's just _leave_ and—"

"No."

"What?" Black couldn't believe what he was hearing.

White's fists were shaking. "I said, no! _Obviously_, you don't care about me or any of the Pokémon in the world! All you care about is yourself. And money." As she spoke, Black caught the glimmer of tears in her eyes before she wiped them away.

He felt like he'd been slapped in the face. "W-what? White, I—" He couldn't bring himself to say any more. When he found his voice again, he tried not to yell at her or else she'd be even more angry at him. "Well, then, what are you doing with _N _for? He's just trying to take advantage of you!"

"N's been nice to me since the day we first met."

"_What_? Just give it up, White! Team Plasma is the stupidest thing I've ever heard—"

"Respect her decision," N broke in. "She's a loyal member of Team Plasma, and that's what she'll always be." He stared down at Black without _anything_ at all in his gaze. At N's voice, Black's mind throbbed in anger, fury growing inside him. He glared back, locking eyes, desperate to prove that he wasn't scared of the guy_._

"Yeah?" Black's hands shook with anger. "Well, what would _you_ know, anyway?" An idea suddenly occurred to him, and he took out the Poké Ball that held his Pignite, gripping it so hard his knuckles were white.

"You know what, _N_?" He said the name mockingly, with contempt. "I challenge you to a battle. If I win, you disband Team Plasma. If you win...I'll get out of your way. I'll leave you and White alone." The last part was hard for him to say, but he didn't care if his voice shook. He was confident that he'd beat N—the guy didn't seem to be a good Pokémon battler at all. Black expected N to nod and agree—the terms couldn't be more acceptable—but instead the green-haired boy shook his head.

"No, thanks. I don't like hurting Pokémon." His voice was dismissive, but his eyes gave him away. They were filled with desperation, and Black could tell that he cared deeply, with his whole life, about Team Plasma and liberating Pokémon... Black leapt to his feet, about to shout a response, but then the passenger car stopped with a jolt. He realized that the ride was over, though it had only seemed like a minute long.

The door slid open, leading back out to the streets of Nimbasa. The huge crowd of people had gone, and there were only a few people scattered about now. Black had no idea why, but he had more important things to think about. White and N were already getting off, not even looking back at him. It made him furious that he was being treated like this by _White! _His used-to-be best friend!

He realized that he'd really hurt her. Well, he'd already known it, but it occurred to him that White wouldn't just forgive him as easily as she did back in kindergarten. This was real. Black had really messed up and he needed the old White back.

"White! Wait up!"

He expected her to ignore him, but she turned around and stared at him. The frost was back in her eyes again. "I don't want anything to do with you." She was trying to act emotionless, Black could tell, but her voice shook. And she turned around without another backward glance, with N putting his arm around her shoulder. Black gritted his teeth in anger when he saw N touch her, and he noted with disappointment that she didn't flinch away.

They disappeared into the shadows of the streets and Black ran after them, but when he reached an intersection of streets, he had no idea where they'd gone.

_Don't worry, I'll find you someday._

He stared into the blackness of the shadows, his heart burning in anger. He longed to see her again. Even though he'd just seen her a few minutes ago, he hadn't seen the _real _White. He'd seen another version of her, and it was all caused by N.

And Black came to a decision: one day, he would melt the ice that formed in White, and then they would be best friends again. Everything would be the same as always. At least, he_ hoped_ White wouldn't hold a grudge that long, but he shrugged away his doubts and forced a confident smile.

She would forgive him _someday, _right?

* * *

**Notes** - Sorry about N's characterization. I personally don't really like him much. Haha, I think it showed in my writing. Anyway, thanks for all your reviews! They really encourage me to keep writing. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	9. Crown of Plasma

**Notes -** I edited the last few chapters because I wasn't very satisfied with them. Only minor changes though. I also just realized that my chapters have really stupid and obvious titles. XD

* * *

**Chapter 8: Crown of Plasma**

After the incident at the Ferris wheel, Black found that he couldn't concentrate on trying to defeat the Gym Leaders anymore. It all seemed so boring to him now, and he couldn't figure out why he was even going to earn all the Badges in the first place. Now, all he could think about was Team Plasma.

There was news on TV about the growing amount of crimes in the Unova region, and the news reporter suspected that the culprit for all the stolen and released Pokémon was none other than Team Plasma. Black knew it would be them, because who else would it be? Now he wasn't just taking down the villainous organization for White and his own purposes, but also for the good of Unova. When he thought of it, it sounded like he was the good guy, the _hero_, but he knew he wasn't and he didn't want to be. This was more for White, for bringing his best friend back, than for the innocent people whose Pokémon had been stolen, although that played a part too only because he wasn't heartless. Black had to admit his main motive for defeating Team Plasma was much different than everyone else.

The next time he encountered them, he had just entered the Dragonspiral Tower because he'd heard there was a legendary item there. Several grunts were stationed in the tower at random places, and they said they were guarding something important. They seemed to be everywhere, and Black thought their main purpose was just to _annoy_. He could easily defeat them, but what he really needed was information.

He challenged the grunts to a battle and easily defeated them with his almost-completed Pokémon team. When he reached the top of the tower and ran into the last Team Plasma member, he remembered N and White and an idea came to his mind. The battle ended quickly with the grunt on his knees in despair, and Black grabbed the front of the guy's shirt, forcing him up.

"Tell me something. Where's N?"

"I-I can't tell you." The Team Plasma member was struggling to speak against Black's grip. "That's private information."

Black frowned. He had to threaten him, force him to tell. The brunet saw no other choice, even if he wasn't actually going to follow through on his threats. He didn't kill anyone, and he wasn't going to. Despite his spoiled and selfish upbringing, he had a heart, too. White had taught him that. Black took a deep breath. He just had to act menancing and scare the Plasma member into telling him.

"You better tell me, or else..." Black's gaze flicked to the nearest object, his newly-evolved Emboar. With a quick beckoning of Black's hand, and a low "Emboar, come here," his Pokémon stomped over, roaring and looming over the Plasma grunt as intimidatingly as it could. The flames on its neck seemed to stand out.

The grunt tried, in vain, to break out of Black's grasp. His eyes went from Black to Emboar, then back again.

"Well?" Black demanded. "Where is he?"

"King N is currently in his castle."

The brunet boy rolled his eyes. That wouldn't get him anywhere. "Okay, so where _is_ his castle?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you." The Plasma member wore a stubborn expression, showing his unwavering loyalty to "King" N. He opened his mouth to speak again, but his words were cut off abruptly and his eyes widened with fear as Black yanked him closer roughly, until they were glaring at each other eye-to-eye.

"Speak up! My Emboar here is willing to use violence if you don't hurry up and tell me."

Emboar roared again, and the grunt shivered and looked around, as if weighing his options. Black was getting more impatient with every passing second, so he began counting down, the only way he could think of. His parents had always used that trick on him whenever they'd wanted him to get something done, and it had worked most of the time. Now, Black found himself doing it. "Five...four...three..."

"Okay, okay!" The Team Plasma grunt hesitated, then paused and lowered his voice. "N's Castle is behind the Pokémon League."

Black was relieved and amused at the same time. It looked like his parents' old trick had worked. But when he let go of the guy's shirt and walked away, recalling his Emboar, the Plasma member yelled at his back, "Good luck trying to get to it! You're never going to find it."

Black just shrugged. He was going to worry about that later. Walking toward the center of the Dragonspiral Tower, he saw the legendary item that the Team Plasma grunt had been protecting. A stone, as black as night, sitting on a pedestal and looking important. It shone with the dazzle of stars, and when Black picked it up, it felt round and smooth in his hand, like glass. He stuffed it in his bag, knowing that it _was_ important somehow.

When the grunt saw him take the stone, he let out a cry. "No! You can't take the Dark Stone! It revives Zek—" He broke off abruptly, but Black had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

"You were going to say Zekrom, right?" He had learned about it back at school, the legends of the ancient dragons in Unova.

"No! No—" The grunt heaved a sigh. "Fine. Yes, I was. But Zekrom only appears to the chosen hero, who _you're_ definitely not. So it's useless to you either way."

Ignoring him, Black made his way for the steps that led downward, back to the entrance of the tower. He'd never worried about dragons and heroes before. They were just superstition, just useless myths. But he knew only Zekrom would give him the power to defeat Team Plasma by himself, and he found himself wondering if he, by any chance, _was_ that chosen hero.

— - O - —

The Team Plasma grunt said he would never find N's Castle, but Black had a way.

"Go, Archeops!" It was one of his new Pokémon. He had revived it from a fossil and it had become his primary means of transportation. He frequently used Archeops to fly around from city to city, and now he was going to use it to get to Team Plasma's ultimate headquarters—their palace.

He climbed onto his Pokémon's back and gripped tightly to its feathers, watching the world pass by down below. He saw Victory Road and the Pokémon League, but nothing behind. The brunet boy and his Pokémon circled above the League, both completely confused. Behind the Pokémon League was just a high cliff wall, stretching out into the sky. Nothing else existed out here.

"Huh? Was he lying?" Black suddenly was enraged, and in a fit of anger he ordered Archeops to use DragonBreath at the rocks, destroying it all in the explosion. Seething, but now a bit more satisfied at seeing something blow up, he turned away and told his Pokémon to fly away.

Archeops squawked in response, and then let out a loud screech that almost blasted Black's eardrums out. When he recovered, he was about to teach the bird a lesson when he saw it.

Underneath the cliff walls, under all the destroyed rubble, was a castle.

It was completely unharmed from the attack, and when Black told his Pokémon to keep using DragonBreath, all the rock covering the palace and concealing it from outward eyes had been blown to pieces. At the far end of the castle, the other part of the cliff jutted out into the sky where only clouds existed.

Excited now and with a pounding heart, Black and the bird swooped down to N's palace, where almost the whole of Team Plasma lurked. The problem, though? He couldn't find an entrance. As much as he would have liked to blow the whole thing up, Ghetsis or N would catch him and order him destroyed, and he didn't stand a chance against those thousands of Plasma members inside.

He found a window, though, and he peered inside. He saw something like a ceremony being performed, and he struggled to see through the sea of Plasma grunts. The first person he saw was N, and behind him Ghetsis, the old guy who Black had seen back at Accumula Town. Squinting harder through the window, Black pressed his face to the glass with Archeops craning its head next to him.

With a start, he caught sight of White, facing the crowd with a nervous but brave expression. She was wearing fancy robes like N and Ghetsis and speaking seriously, her words directed to them. With a nod, N lifted the crown that he was holding, the crown that matched his and Ghetsis's. That meant only one thing.

Black watched, stunned and frozen, as "King" N crowned White as Team Plasma's new princess.


	10. Smoke from the Fire

**Notes - **I hope you like this chapter, 'cause I just got two less-than-encouraging reviews and I've kinda lost confidence in myself. But thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate it, and I mean it. And here we are, almost at the end! :)

Warnings - some violence in this part, some blood :P

* * *

**Chapter 9: Smoke from the Fire**

Black couldn't tear his gaze away from White and N and Ghetsis. His fingers clenched and unclenched on his Poké Balls over and over, his mind hazy with disbelief and anger. Rising to his feet, he summoned Archeops with a flick of his hand.

Before he could even think, he yelled, "Use Hyper Beam!"

The shock and fury had made him careless. As soon as the Pokémon let out the attack, Black regretted it. What had he just done? He'd just let all of Team Plasma know he was here, and they'd all turn on him. He would be hopelessly outnumbered. There was a small, tiny hope he still clung to that White would back him up, but he couldn't count on that. He realized with a pang that he missed her, missed the old days when they could rely on each other and everything was all right.

_I'm doing this for you, White! _he promised to himself, trying to get up some courage. Nonetheless, he flinched as the Hyper Beam smashed into the wall. Glass shattered as the wall exploded, porcelain and stone flying into the air with deadly sharp edges. Black leaped on Archeops and launched into the air to avoid most of the damage, although he got cut more than a few times. But he wiped the blood away, not caring, his heart pounding and battle-ready.

When the dust rose, Black saw that pure chaos had arised. Thousands of Team Plasma members were rushing around, panicked, in the ruins of the throne room. Ghetsis and N were looking around frantically to find the intruder. To Black's dismay, they spotted him right away, and he remembered that he was still on his Archeops, floating in the air right in front of them. _You idiot, _he thought, as the alarm went up and the grunts all turned to him and pulled out their Poké Balls. Black knew their Pokémon would easily kill them if given the command, but N's eyes flashed with recognition and he held up his hand to make them stop.

"Black." N nodded to him politely, and Black couldn't tell if he was actually being friendly or just mocking. There was a movement, and White stepped forward beside N, watching him with intent, narrowed eyes, though not saying anything.

This was it. This was what Black had been waiting for all along. His last chance to try and convince White to come back home. If he failed now, he'd never get a chance to talk to her ever again, since she was now the "princess" of Team Plasma. He was supposed to be the hero, swooping in and saving the day. But now that the time had come, Black was unsure what he was trying to accomplish. He felt strangely hesitant.

"So what do you have to say for yourself?" N asked calmly.

Everyone was staring at him, waiting for him to speak. He swallowed nervously, still floating on Archeops, staring out at the sea of Plasma members below him. What was he supposed to say? He realized his legs were shaking with fear, and he hated himself for it. What was he, a coward?

"I-I don't know," he stammered out finally, with someone snorting in response. "I mean..." He glanced helplessly at White, but her gaze betrayed nothing. He glanced at N again, who had a look of slight amusement.

Ghetsis, on the other hand, was furious. "The boy just revealed our palace to the open!" the man yelled. "What if he's one of those investigator police? He's going to disband us. We must kill him at once!" Angry shouts came from the crowd of grunts, who advanced on him menancingly.

Black didn't mean to, but he began to speak. Words tumbled out on impulse. "I'm not trying to disband Team Plasma or anything," he said, and he knew it was true. "I'm not a hero. I don't want anything from you. To be honest, I couldn't care less about Team Plasma."

"Then why are you here?" came the unfazed answer.

"Well..." Again, his gaze strayed to White, who looked uneasy. Black gripped Archeops' feathers for comfort and reassurance; he felt like he was about to fall off at any moment. Without consideration, he blurted out, "I'm here for White."

His heart sank as she turned her furious blue eyes upon him. "For _me_? What do you want from me?"

"B-because—"

"Black," she said. At his name, he stared at the brunette. This was the first time she had addressed him by name since their childhood days. "I already told you; I'm a member of Team Plasma. Forget about changing my mind."

"I just thought..." His voice shook, but he stumbled on. "That we could...go back to how we used to be." Black squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself not to look at her, afraid of the ice he would see in her eyes.

Now everyone's eyes were on White, who stared uncertainly at the dust and ruins beneath her feet. When she looked up again, her expression was unreadable. "But we can't. I'm princess of Team Plasma now." Before he could say anything, she continued on, "I just dedicated my life to liberating Pokémon, and you can't do anything about it. Now just leave, before you get hurt."

N opened his mouth, but White cut him off. Her voice was cool and calm, but Black couldn't tell what feelings were churning inside her. "If you don't want to die, then go. This is your only chance."

At that, N flashed a sharp glance at her, but she met his gaze unwaveringly. They seemed to be having a silent conversation, and at their closeness, a thorn of envy pierced itself in Black's heart. He remembered his old friendship with White, which seemed so long ago. How had it faded so quickly? He clung tightly to Archeops' feathers, seeking its comfort and friendship to make himself feel better.

At last N nodded, and Black swallowed as a lump formed in his throat. He knew he could never sway White's opinion; he knew from experience that she would never change her mind once she made it up. He could tell she truly cared about Pokémon, even more than him. If he continued to protest, it wouldn't do any good, and Ghetsis might get impatient and give the order to kill him.

Although it hurt, he was giving White up because she was truly his friend and he wanted her to do whatever made _her _happy, even if it was something he hated. Black respected White; she wasn't stupid and she could make her own decisions. She wasn't his property. She could do whatever _she_ wanted and he couldn't stop her. Perhaps inside, he had known that she would never budge all along, but he couldn't accept it. He couldn't face the truth, he had to keep running away and lying to himself. So Black had followed White across the whole region, only to get rejected at the very end.

This was all his fault, Black knew. He had caused this whole thing by listening to his parents and abandoning White on that rainy day, and now look how it turned out. She would never ever forgive him, and he didn't blame her. He had yelled at her and then expected her to forgive him. All of a sudden, White's words from the Ferris Wheel came flooding back to him. _All you care about is yourself. _She was true. Black was a total hypocrite, and just as bad as his parents.

He'd never known the truth more clearly than now, even though it hurt to realize all the things he'd been ignoring. He was selfish. A brat. Was he even friends with White at all, or was he just a spoiled rich kid trying to take advantage of a poor girl? Black didn't know, anymore.

All he could do now was accept her decision without protest, and move on. He could at least do _that _for her. Wasn't that what friends were for?

"Good-bye then, I guess," he muttered, his eyes on the rocky ground but his words directed toward White. "I-I mean, I respect your decision. If you want to be Team Plasma's princess, then you can. I won't stop you anymore." The words hurt him more than anything, and his heart twisted with regret, but he knew he had no other choice. This was going to kill him, leaving White.

Suddenly, Black felt something welling up in his eyes. _Tears? _Was he really _crying_? He squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to stop them from leaking out, but the teardrops persisted. Determined not to humiliate himself in front of White and N and Ghetsis, he turned away and wiped his eye with his sleeve, knowing that this would be the last time he would ever see her. It was all gone—their friendship, whatever they had, was gone forever.

They would never see each other again.

Black hesitated. "Just remember me," he said tentatively, avoiding her gaze. Maybe she didn't think of him as a friend anymore, but he didn't want her to forget him. "B-because, you'll always be _my _friend, you know?"

He didn't dare look at her, didn't gauge her reaction, knowing he wouldn't see any warmth in her eyes. Instead he urged Archeops to turn away, ready to take off and soar out of there, away from White and Team Plasma forever.

"Wait a minute!" The enraged shout came from Ghetsis. "Are you allowing him to _leave? _He's seen our castle; what if he decides to give our location away? We can't trust him!" His heart beginning to pound, Black glanced backward just in time to see all the Team Plasma grunts releasing their Pokémon.

"Wait! Stop!" White burst out, but the man didn't blink.

He pointed straight at Black and yelled, "Kill him!" At his order, the creatures attacked.

Black's heart caught in his throat. Was he going to die? Thousands upon thousands of attempts to kill him came streaking into the sky, straight toward him and Archeops, all fired in one motion. "Dodge it!" he shouted, but he knew it was hopeless. His Pokémon was able to narrowly avoid a bolt of thunder but plunged straight into a searing flame.

For a second he wasn't sure what was happening to him.

And then he felt the fire. The flame's intensity was sweltering; its heat was unbearable. His vision turned red, his senses became numb until all he could feel was the blazing hot. He screamed as Archeops' wings were burned and it lost its ability to fly. They fell, trailing smoke, straight downward. The world spiraled around him rapidly, and the jagged rocks below him rushed closer, their sharp edges hungry to cut him to pieces.

For a heartbeat, Black was vaguely reminded of the time long ago when he and Cheren were on the swings and White had pushed him, sent him flying into the air. _This isn't so different, _he thought inanely. But this time, no one would be there to catch him when he fell. And it would hurt a whole lot harder than bark.

It all happened so fast, and it was over before Black could even blink. His body fell onto the cracked rubble and he let out a agonized yell; the pain was tearing him apart. Bright red spattered around him—in a daze, he realized that it was _his _blood.

Black was vaguely aware of White's horrified scream. Just the sight of his blood was enough to make him nauseous. The world spun and spun, and black spots filled his vision, splattering across his line of sight.

Ghetsis stood above him, face twisted in a snarl. "Prepare to die, boy." There was the hint of insanity in the man's eyes, and Black shuddered involuntarily.

Appearing to be struck by a thought, Ghetsis whirled around to face White, whose face was pale with shock. "Well? Would you like to do the honors?" he demanded. "You know him, don't you? It would be so _fitting—" _he grinned sickly "—for _friends_ to kill each other_."_

White didn't reply for a long time, her eyes wide with horror. "No," she whispered finally, staring at Black. "I-I didn't want this..."

With a snort, Ghetsis shrugged and turned back to Black again. "Well, I guess I'll be the one to do it, then." He took out a Poké Ball and tossed it into the air, releasing a Hydreigon, who let out a bellowing roar.

"You know what to do," Ghetsis said casually to the dragon, like they weren't just about to murder a (innocent) kid. The Hydreigon nodded, and Black's heart pounded out of his chest, from fear and disbelief. Was he going to die, here and now? He couldn't—he didn't _want _to! His fingers tightened on his Poké Balls instinctively, and an idea hit him then. As he gripped the smooth, somehow comforting red-and-white surfaces which held his trusted Pokémon, Black realized this was the key. He wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Go!" he yelled to his Pokémon, letting out Emboar and Musharna and Simisage and all the rest. They appeared in a flash of light, a dramatic appearance, knocking Hydreigon back and shoving Ghetsis to his knees. As soon as the creatures were let out, they growled and crouched in front of Black, ready to defend him at all costs. His wounded Archeops, which had been lying by his side, struggled to its feet and challenged Ghetsis with the others. Black was touched by their loyalty, but they were still drastically outnumbered.

He didn't need to call out orders. His Pokémon were already fighting for his life, and their own. But Black was acutely aware of the Dark Stone in his pocket, the one that held Zekrom. The Legendary Pokémon _might _be able to defeat the whole of Team Plasma on its own, but it would only work if he was the chosen hero. Desperately hoping against hope, he took out the gleaming stone and held it up into the air.

Nothing happened.

"Zekrom, I summon you!' Black tried, but the stone was still unresponsive. While his Pokémon were fighting around him, he attempted to throw the stone, crack it, break it, but the result was always nothing.

Of course, he had expected this to happen, but it didn't make him any less furious. He was holding a stone in his hand that held the power to destroy the entire Plasma organization, but it wasn't working, just because he wasn't the _chosen hero_! Angrily, impulsively, Black hurled the Dark Stone against the floor with all his might, onto the sharp, cracked rocks. "Why don't you work?" he screamed.

The stone shattered into a million pieces, the shards scattering across the dusty ground.

At first nothing happened. But then a black shape, small at first, expanded from the ruins, growing bigger and tearing down everything nearby. Now fearful, Black backed away as fast as his legs could carry him, stumbling across the ground, ignoring that his wounds were screaming with pain. What had he done? He had just destroyed a legendary item! What was he thinking? He had an ominous feeling he knew what the thing he had released was.

As Black and Team Plasma watched, stunned speechless, the black shape suddenly stood up and raised its wings, its angry roar rippling across the field. Its tail suddenly burst into bright blue, and the creature let out a powerful bolt of electricity that shocked everyone nearby, leaving a smoking trail of dust and people crumpling to their knees, thoroughly electrified, sinking to the ground.

Someone recovered from their shock enough to let out a terrified scream.

Zekrom.

"Zekrom?" N's voice was hoarse with astonishment. "You...are you the chosen hero, Black?"

"What? I didn't know..." Black was still stunned, rooted to the spot.

Then suddenly everyone was screaming, and the chaos began. Black dived away as Zekrom smashed the rocks nearby with its powerful claws in a rampage. The whole of Team Plasma scattered, confused and horrified and afraid for their lives.

"Zekrom, stop!" Black yelled, but the creature didn't stop its furious attacks. It roared violently and attacked anyone, _anything _in its reach, picking up random Plasma grunts and hurling them across the battlefield, where they collapsed, unmoving, bodies bloody and broken. At the sight of Zekrom's power, Black shivered. It could kill anyone it wanted.

"_Stop _it! Listen to me!" he shouted desperately, beginning to panic. "Please!" He pleaded and begged the black dragon, who probably wasn't even aware of his existence. The Dark Stone lay in shards on the floor, and Black wished he could undo everything.

"It's not listening to me! I'm not the hero!"

"You made it angry!" Ghetsis growled. "Stop this thing!"

"I _can't!"_ Growing desperate, Black stared, frozen with fear, at the savage creature. He'd just released a relentless, furious killer with no sense of mercy. At least, when Zekrom wasn't in a frenzy, it would probably be peaceful, but the dragon was enraged. It was all Black's fault, as usual. He'd destroyed the Dark Stone and now Zekrom was too angry to listen to anyone, let alone him. It was _killing _people! More people were collapsing to the ground with each second that went by. He didn't want this! He wasn't a murderer!

What had he _done?_

Ghetsis narrowed his eyes and turned away. "Then we'll have to evacuate this place! Members of Team Plasma—" His voice was drowned out by a mighty roar from Zekrom. The legendary dragon's tail exploded in a blast of electricity and Black realized that the sky had turned stormy gray. The first raindrops splashed onto the rocks below, signs of an even greater storm to come. A bright blue thunderbolt roared down from the heavens themselves, intensified by Zekrom's fury. It grew brighter and brighter with each coming second, and time seemed to slow as it veered onto its path of destruction.

As Black watched the electrifying bolt streak downwards, straight toward him and the ruins of Team Plasma, he only had one thought.

_We're all gonna die._

Okay, forget about Ghetsis taking his life. The destruction and death Zekrom could create with one single blow was incomparable. It was a savage beast, a truculent monster. It couldn't be stopped, and it would kill Black and all of Team Plasma with its Fusion Bolt.

And the thunderbolt hit the ground and suddenly the earth was shaking from the impact, throwing up rocks and rubble and other deadly objects. Black tried to run, but his legs wouldn't move anymore, despite his mind urging him to go, _go, _get out of here. His wounds, conveniently, ached more than ever. He forced himself to move and had just taken a step when he felt something hard hit the side of his head.

_White. _The thought ran through his mind as he crumpled, the world spinning around him, and blackness engulfed his vision like a hungry wave.


End file.
